Danielle Santucci 2020 ENCoach Thread
Age Group, Height and Weight. F45-49, 5'10, 135
140.6 Best Time in Last Five Years 11:20:50 Lake Placid 2017
70.3 Best Time in Last Five Years 5:14:35 Puerto Rico 2017
Oly Best Time in Last Five Years ?
26.2 Best Time in Last Five Years 3:47 Carmel Marathon 2019 (BQ)
13.1 Best Time in Last Five Years 1:47:39 Loudoun Half 2016
Your Strongest Discipline * Bike
Your Weakest Discipline * Run
Your Weakest Discipline: Tell Us More... *
My favorite of the 3, yet the one I struggle to make any gains with. I love to run and run fast when I feel strong, but with that comes injury. I get to a point where I am running well and am confident in my gains to be quickly let down. Riddled with running injury year after year, it feels like I am in a constant state of starting over again.
Your Injury / Difficulty History * Mostly overuse injuries associated with my addiction to running. I run through pain, because I don't think its that painful, until it becomes debilitating. Honestly, I cant remember a time in the past 3 years where I have run completely pain free. Just varying degrees of pain in different areas.
Top Three Lessons Learned in your triathlon career. *
Volume (for me) gives me confidence athletically. More isn't always best. Nutrition is really difficult to get right.
Your Top Three Races / Events this Season (with dates):
Boston Marathon April 2020 IMSTG May 2020 Traverse City 70.3 July IMWC October (?)
Comments
@Danielle Santucci
Ok, so let's work on the strategizing for the race...if IMSG is a bust because of the build up then IMOK is on the table...we have flexibility right now through Week 8 of the OS (March 1) so you have workouts until then. But let me know what you are thinking in your reply!
Questions:
Call Notes:
Running with Power Homework
Travel for work
March 2018 training for Boston Q…
Equipment changes
Power is both through KickR and Powertaps. If I am not doing a custom wko, I will use my Powertap pedals for power and let the KickR adjust for hills and climbing. If I am doing 2x15" Z4, I'll use the KickR for power to lock in resistance.
Thoughts on STG still pending. I am 95% sure I am pulling the plug and transferring to OK. Just cant seem to commit, because I wanted to race STG so badly. The EN energy there is going to be amazing!
As I mentioned over text, my concern is getting in too late on Friday after being in Nashville all week for our National Sales Meeting. I am super anal about my pre race protocol and worry that not being able to do all the pre race things I do will throw me off. Then again, will it? My internal battle is "maybe not being there for all the pre race stuff might be an advantage" Can you tell I cant make up my mind...so indecisive on this? Would be open to your thoughts.
From a race course standpoint...one loop swim, point to point hilly bike and 2 loop flat run sounds really attractive. Avg temps 73 degrees and low humidity.
@Danielle Santucci -
Hey Rip Van Santucci! I replied to this earlier this week via email and it got lost. 😢No worries.
Thanks for the update on your power source. I just want to make sure that we have some correlation between your indoor power and your outdoor power, which using your pedals will solve.
Yes the energy will be amazing, but you have proven that you can race at a high-level at almost any venue. I think the conditions leading up to your race are just as important as the experience on the day. And quite honestly, we will need you as focused as possible on your execution in order to be successful. I don't know if it will be helpful or not to have all those other people there with regards to that criteria, but it's just a thought.
This Week In Review
Solid! Love the four bikes (how was the Sunday pre run?) and nice to get you over 20 miles for the week (25!!!). So, what does this mean for next week?
1 - Let's keep the run mileage at 22 to 25 again...let it settle in at this new level.
2 - Can you get 4 more solid bikes in? If not, I would be ok with long run SAT and 🐎🐎🐎🐎 on Sunday for another long effort. Your call on that.
3 - Can you get some HR data on your indoor rides? I want to be able to compare with what you are doing on the treadmill!
One Last Thing...
If you sleep like me then you are also sleep deprived. Not much of an issue now but moving forward we might have to build in one good night of sleep during the week as well. This will likely cramp your style but it's a good long term play to consider...
@Coach Patrick
Well rested and ready to tackle the week! Over the weekend, I made the decision to submit my request to transfer to IMOK. I play the waiting game to see if its doable. The points you make are valid and knowing myself, the anxiety of getting in late on Friday from Nashville with the race on Saturday is a recipe for disaster. I will continue to train as if I am doing STG, until I receive confirmation of the transfer. I assume we will adjust when this happens.
Yes, a solid week of training for me. 4 bikes, 20+ miles of running and a mere 2K in the pool. Last season, I started doing a high cadence/low watt 30-60' bike session before my long runs so that I wasnt starting my long runs cold. I tend to run better off the bike with a low impact warm up of the legs. When the time permits, I would prefer to do this. Thoughts?
I modified the Sunday run to add some distance (time) to what you had planned. Can't remember the last time I ran 10 miles and wanted to get a solid straight TRP 10 miler in. I chose not to negative split the run, because I was a tad sore from the TM run wko's earlier in the week.
Aiming to hit another 4 bike wko's this week, but will modify (as you suggested) if I cant get Thursday's in (traveling Wed-Thur) because of work.
Retired the 920 and got the Fenix 5S Plus last week. Not sure how accurate the HR is on this thing, but have been using it for all my wko's since 1/20. Sunday's run had my HR avg of 160, which I know is completely off. I barely hit 160 when I am doing Z5 intervals. LOL
Agree with you on the sleep topic and will take any and all recommendations as I know how important quality sleep is for recovery. Although, you know I have a difficult time taking a day off, but will if you feel it is critical for my success.
Question: when will we be using run power as the basis for my run training vs pace?
@Danielle Santucci - chiming in here as I think I read something different than @Coach Patrick -
first - so awesome that you stepped up your coaching to this level of engagement!
you are using PT as your source of power output on Zwift events, but using the kickr PM as your power reading source when doing WKOs, That's not good. It's been wildly reported that the Kickr power meter reads lower than the PTs (and other standalone PMs)
what does this mean. Changing what you use to measure YOUR power output, does not change the resistance being "locked in."
what is happening? You ride your bike and push x watts hard. a PM reads it (either the kickr or the PTs) and tells zwift if it needs to make resistance easier or harder based on your output vs the wattage the Workout file is demanding. BOTH affect the kickr the same. The issue is that at x work effort, the Kickr will read a lower wattage effort and thus cause you to work too hard to achieve the watts, or that you will be tricked into thinking your FTP is lower. (opposite effect if the kickr PM is reading 20 watts too high, your workout becomes too easy because you achieve your watts easier)
the key to ensuring steady resistance is keeping kickr in ERG mode!
hope that helps, call me if you need to discuss more. @Coach Patrick - if i got it wrong, LMK
@scott dinhofer thanks for your input. I may, and hopefully Coach P read through the lines, have not properly articulated how I use the kickr for power. In fact, when I use the kickr for power (vs my PTs) it is only in ERG mode. I will create a customized wko, say 2x18' with a warmup and cool down, and let the kickr adjust the power for the intervals. Otherwise, I will use my PT's for group rides or JRA rides. This ensures that I am locked in to Z4 for the entire 18' and yes is hurts the entire time, ha :-)
@Danielle Santucci - I think what @scott dinhofer is intimating is that you can use ERG mode and still have your power driven from your powermeter. This is preferred, if not too complicated, as we'd be following the same source of watts. Here's a video explanation:
To your questions:
~ Coach P
@Danielle Santucci OK, it's just about decision time. I need to know which way you are leaning so I can start to frame out what the rest of February and your spring will look like. There's a fair amount of overlap in the training but there are some key sessions that I will want to organize. And I basically reverse engineer those from your race. Let me know when you get a chance.
@Coach Patrick the decision to move to Tulsa has been made, the issue I am having is getting STG to process the transfer. I have acknowledged and agreed to all of their terms and fees, yet they are dragging their feet in moving the process forward. But yes, there is just no way I can race STG that Saturday :( . I will be there to Sherpa and hang out in Vegas on Sunday :)
Let's plan for Tulsa on May 31st as if it were confirmed and will adjust (another race later in the season) if for some reason IM messes up. Back up to the back up plan will be to redo Choo or head to Canada this summer.
@Danielle Santucci - thank you for confirming the change to Tulsa. I went into Final Surge and edited the program. No hello do you nine weeks of the season and transition into the run focus plan for Tulsa.
I added some volume over the weekend sessions to ease the transition to the IM plan itself. This includes some 4Horsemen action on Sunday 2/16.
Let's keep those long runs around 9 min miles. You don't need to run those faster...yet. That work will come; I want you to have some mojo in the tank to continue pushing that bike work up during the OS!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick Watched the video, thanks! Question though, for Powertap pedals, you need to select either the R pedal or L pedal as your source on Zwift. If you are more dominant with your R leg and you choose your L Powertap power reading, would you not have to work even harder to hit the number? I always thought using the KickR power was better because it distributes the power evenly?
That's a good question. From my experience most people only have a 2 maaaaaaaaybe 3% variance between legs. I would still rather have power coming from you than from the kicker. Why don't you give it a shot and see how you feel.
Regardless of where the power is coming from, I know you're going to crush Your self. 🤣
@Danielle Santucci can I get a check in? I want to see how things are going for you now that you've committed to a race. I see some warmer weather on the horizon too so I bet you're getting excited for that. Let me know!
@Coach Patrick chugging along like the little engine that could. Last week saw some modifications in intensity due to a nagging something or other that started just before V-day weekend. Low energy, congestion, cough, lost voice...all the makings of the common cold. Road 2 solid days with Jeremy in Clermont on the 15th and 16th, which was a confidence builder. Was struggling with energy from sickness, but so happy to 1. be riding outside and 2. logging miles over a 100.
Weather has been great here in the DMV with only better temps to come. Looks like I'll be able to log some good outdoor miles earlier this season which will be helpful for Tulsa.
Will be interested in knowing what your plans are for me and Boston now that I will have a good 6 weeks between Boston and Tulsa vs the original 13 days between Boston and STG. Running right now is steady. I feel like I am doing the right amount of durability, speed and distance to prevent injury. Averaging 5--6 runs/week (20-30 miles). 3 on the TM and 2 outside.
Swimming consistently with at least 2 per week and although I don't feel as fast as I have in prior years, I feel pretty good at this point in the season knowing that by race day I will have a solid swim.
Traveling with work has slowed down a bit for now giving me the opportunity to get all of the wkos in and complete them in their entirety. Yay!
On a side note, I need to drop some weight. Im not sure if its my auto immune condition (Hashimoto's) or stress, but I am carrying about 7-10lbs too many for where I think I need to be on race day. I continue to eat as I always have, clean, gluten free and no recreational sugar so I dont understand why my body has decided to lock into this weight. I realize its still early and the training hours will increase which will assist in the slimming down, but I scratch my head nonetheless on whats going on. 🤷
@Danielle Santucci - OK! Working in reverse order here...
Don't sweat the weight other than being as clean and healthy as you can be. There is MINIMAL cost re your weight for IM Tulsa vs IM St George for example, so we just keep on being smart and healthy.
Swimming is the least of our concerns, it will come around by April...this month is just about 2 swims per week (maybe more post boston) and really good swim form/technique.
The plan for Boston is to still do it. I like the idea of the long training run and moving that earlier in your build vs the bike...but the fact that your longest runs in the last 8 weeks were 11 miles each means it will be tough.
Here's what I am proposing:
So, questions:
What am I missing?
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick answering your questions:
Yes, I can commit to 2 long runs per week if they are Th and Sun. I think if we do this, we commit the TH LR as a split run to avoid any potential injuries as this is my biggest concern. Agree?
Yes, I can mix the terrain up...trails, road and TM.
Yes I will commit to Normatec time, just tell me when and how long and I will schedule it.
@Danielle Santucci OK, thanks for getting back to me. I have mapped out the long run progression between now and the marathon. I still need to figure out what we're gonna do with regards to your Taper and your Iron Man training as well as the recovery from the race with your training, but at least right now you have the structure for the next five weeks with your Thursday runs and Sunday runs built in there as well as recovery. Note, this week you will just continue with the long run on the weekend again. The split runs/double runs don't start until next week.
Mental note to check in on le marathon taper!
@Coach Patrick just looked ahead to next week and your plan modifications. Am I to assume, that you want me riding 2hrs on Sunday before a 15 mile run? Also, are we staying the course with the Saturday rides increasing in volume?
I am torn there on that Sunday, so a good talking point. We need the bike but there's a marathon. I set it to be 2h (30' @ ABP) and then run...but I appreciate that might not be realistic. Could be 1:00 with 30' @ ABP too...I'll let you "set" that based off of how you feel from your Saturdays.
The work is coming! 🚂
Updated Race Plan(s) From Danielle on 03/25/2020
Option 1:
Option 2:
Ok, I dialed this week back a bit and shuffled the hard running. Focus of this weekend (week really) is the long weekend ride. There's a run on the other day, but it's meant to be easy after last week. Hell, all runs should be easy this week.
I have you on track to Tulsa now, and if needed we recover / pivot to IMMT. TBD there.
I put the chart in below so you can see where you are at. Some notes: